Dancing Around Destiny
by NaruSasu-Perfection
Summary: Neji Hyuga X OC. AU-Highschool. She's a dancer and he's a top student who takes school very seriously. She likes to spend her time dancing and he likes to spend his time studying. The one thing they have in common is the fact they both want to be at the top.
1. Chapter 1

**One**

The pain shots up her legs, causing her to bit her lip for a moment before she composes herself. She keeps her eyes on the set spot on the wall and spins, her leg shooting out every other turn to give herself momentum to keep going. She winces when she places her feet both firmly on the ground, the promised count of eight long gone and replaced with pain.

"You need to point your toes more and tuck in your buttocks," the instructor says, whacking the girl on the butt. She instantly sucks in every part of her body and moves her feet into fourth position, her toes still aching. She risks a glance down and notices the wet blood seeping through her pink slippers. She sighs, her eyes snapping back up when her instructor's voice hits her ears. "Do the dance from the top and if everyone gets it perfect you may leave for the day."

They don't leave for another hour, doing the dance seven times before it is deemed a perfect performance by everyone. The group of teenagers walks out of the room, all throwing off their shoes and ignoring the blood dripping from their broken and cracked toenails. They all leave as quickly as possible, ready to ice their feet for the night and get ready for another day of practice tomorrow.

Emiko stays behind though, her shoes still on her feet. She gets up when everyone leaves and pushes the door to the studio open, her eyes scanning the mirrors around the room, getting a good look at her tired and sweaty form. She lets a sigh leave her lips and moves over to the iPod dock, attaching her iPhone. She scrolls through the music, a smile forming on her lips when she finds her favorite lullaby. She hits play and starts to dance the steps she was made up with her mother when she was seven.

"What are you dancing?"

The instructor's voice reaches her ears and she nearly falls to the ground. She catches herself, clicking the music off and standing in fifth position. "I was simply doing a dance I made up with my mother when I was younger," Emiko states, her eyes on the ground.

"Interesting…" The instructor walks around her, taking in every part of her thin body. A hum leaves the instructors lips every once and while. "May I see it from the top?" Emiko is surprised by the request, but nods her head. She turns on the music and starts the dance over.

The inspector seems impressed when she finishes, Emiko's smile facing the fake audience in front of her. She is breathing heavily from the exertion and can't seem to catch her breath. "How old were you when you made that up?" Emiko glances at the professor, cursing her lungs when she can't seem to get the air into them.

"Seven."

"That was an impressive dance for a seven year old."

"My mother made most of it up. It took me almost two years to finally get every step perfect and over the years I've changed a few things to make it point," Emiko explains, her eyes finding the ground. She can't seem to get enough air into her lungs. She catches the look the instructor gives her in the mirror and realizes that she notices the struggle Emiko is having with her breath.

"Go get some rest and I'll see you tomorrow afternoon for class. I might just have some news for you." Emiko nods her head, grabbing her iPhone before walking out the door. The first thing she does is take a dose of her inhaler, happy she can finally catch her breath, the burning sensation in her lungs gone.

She lets out a sigh when her feet are finally released from her shoes. She notices the way the blood stains the wood and the pink slipper itself.

"Are you ready to go home, dear?"

She looks up, smiling at her grandmother. She nods her head and sticks her slippers in her bag, putting on a pair of sneakers. She winces when she stands, the way the shoes fit make the material hit her toes the wrong way. "Grandma, can I get something to eat on the way home? I'm really hungry." Grandma lets out a laugh and wraps an arm around her granddaughter's shoulders.

"You can have whatever you want."

Emiko's face lights up.

* * *

She sighs when her alarm sounds. She slaps the thing to sleep and sits up in bed, stretching her sore muscles. She groans when her feet hit the ground, and sucks in a breath of pain when she puts all her weight on them. "Grandma!" She calls. She walks across her room, limping all the way. She opens her bedroom door, smiling when she see her grandmother standing at the top of the stairs, a bandage in her hands. "You always know."

"I'm your grandmother, I know everything," grandma teases. Emiko lets out a small laugh and turns back into her room, nearly falling onto her bed in pain. "It's that bad today?" Emiko turns over, her whole body aching, but nothing can compare to the pain in her feet. She nods her head numbly, sighing when her grandmother rubs icy-hot gel on her feet. She wraps her wounded toes in an ace bandage to finish it off. "Now, off to school!"

"Shot, I forgot today was the first day," Emiko groans, her back hitting the bed. Grandma simply chuckles and stands up. "I'll be down in a few minutes for some…eggs?"

"Yep, I've already started them!"

She smiles as her grandmother walks out the door, closing it behind her. She climbs out of her bed and opens her closet, pulling out a pair of jean shorts and a nice t-shirt before closing it. She gets dressed and straightens her hair, letting her bangs fame her face, falling to her chin. She puts her contacts in and smiles at her refection.

She hops down the stairs, ignoring the pain shooting up her legs and limps to the kitchen. She eats her eggs quickly, annoyed it took her longer then she thought it would to get ready. She grabs a bottle of water out of the refrigerator before she says goodbye to her grandma and grandpa with a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later!" She yells as she walks out the door, nearly falling down the stairs. She laughs at herself, a light hum leaving her lips as she dances her way to her car.

She buckled her seat belt and blasts the music once she is in the car. She puts the car into reverse and steps on the gas, only to have to step on the break a second later, a car horn blaring in her ears. She glances at the owner of the car, her eyes finding his white, milky ones instantly. She can't shake the weird feeling in the pit of her stomach when he drives away.

* * *

**[Author's Note:** Hi! A new story for everyone. I wanted to write a story with Neji and here it is! I hope you like the first part. The chapters will all be around this length, I hope that is okay. Anyway, I love reviews!**]**


	2. Chapter 2

**Two**

He doesn't like being late for school. The only problem is that he has to drive Hinata to school and she always makes him later then he would like. He pulls into a parking spot close to the school and puts the car in park before yanking the keys out. "I-I'm sorry I m-made you late N-Neji," Hinata mumbles.

"Whatever," he grumbles back, grabbing his backpack and slipping out of the car. He slams his door shut and locks the car, walking away without even looking at Hinata. He needs to get everything organized before school starts up and Hinata is not helping.

He lets out a sigh when he notices the group of people standing out front of the school. He doesn't feel like dealing with them right now, but he can't find a way to avoid them. It's Naruto who speaks first, waving his arms in the air. "Neji! Long time no see!" Neji rolls his eyes and walks over to the group. He knows Naruto won't leave him alone unless he says something to him.

"Naruto," he greets.

"What did you do all summer? We missed you around town!" He sighs at Naruto's question. Everyone knows he was taking a summer course at the most prestigious college around. He is about to tell this to Naruto, but Naruto is quickly distracted, waving at a girl across the parking lot.

Neji narrows his eyes, taking in the girl who almost hit him on the ride to school. She is dancing across the parking lot, seemingly in her own world. Naruto's words seem to break her out of her little dream land and she smiles, waving back to him. Neji lets out a short laugh when a car almost hits her. "Naruto! How have you been?" Neji notices the way she limps.

"Emiko! How was your summer? I heard you were with your little group there," Naruto says. He seems to be the only one interested in people's summers.

Neji finds himself curious to see what her 'little group; is, but her words give nothing away. "Yeah, I did. It was really fun!" He notices the way her smile just lights up her face. She quickly turns her attention to Neji, that smile still plastered on her lips. "I'm Emiko; I don't think I know you." Neji doesn't know what to do. He has no idea who she is at all and he doesn't plan on getting to know her. He just needs to focus on school and graduating and going to college.

"Neji," he says, sticking his hand out. She nods her head, shaking his hand before she turns back to Naruto. Neji takes this chance to leave, making his way inside the building and to his locker.

* * *

Emiko lets a light hum leave her lips as she dances down the hall, a bad habit she has taken to even since she was little. She stops outside her classroom and finish with a leap, a smile on her face. "You dance?" She nearly twists her ankle when she lands and curses the person under her breath before looking up.

"Neji, right?" she asks. He nods his head and she winces in pain, her feet aching and she hasn't even gone to dance class yet. "Yeah, I was dancing. Force of habit." She shrugs her shoulder, heading to the door. Neji doesn't say anything else as she steps into her class.

The bell rings minutes later and she leaves a quickly as possible, her bag over her shoulder. She knows she is limping. She knows she shouldn't be dancing right now, but she can't help when her feet start to sashay down the hall toward her locker. She smiles when she sees Naruto waiting for her. He chuckles and grabs her hand, swinging her around. "Thanks!" She opens her locket as he yammers away about how much he hates his classes already.

"I still can't believe I have homework on the first day in English," he complains to her, his arms flying around to give more emphasis to his point. She simply giggles, closing her locket and turning to him.

"That is school, Naruto," she tells him. "Be lucky you don't fall behind as much as I do. Dance kills me in that department. I already have to be late tomorrow and it's only the second day." Naruto nods his head, because he knows how stressful her situation is and how much she has to work to keep up with school without being kicked out of her dance class.

"Yeah, but it still stinks. Hey, are you coming to the first soccer game?"

"When is it?" She doesn't usually keep track of these kinds of events. She is almost never able to go to them. Naruto still usually reminds her about them even though she hasn't been to more than two in her time at high school.

"Friday at eight?"

She pouts her lips, her mind wondering to her strict schedule. "I think I can be late. Class ends at eight so I should be able to make it after that." Naruto's grin grows and he nearly tackles her to the ground in a hug. She laughs, because he is so happy just to have her at the game. "Okay, now I have to go to class." Naruto frowns and pulls away from her.

"Fine, I'll see you at lunch then!"

She nods her head, waving as he walks down the hall way. She lets out a small laugh and walks the other way toward her class.

She doesn't recognize the teacher when she walks in. She finds a seat in the second row right next to the window and spreads her stuff out, taking a quick drink of her water before class the starts.

She smiles when she sees Neji come in and waves him over. He seems confused, but walks over anyway, taking the seat in front of her. "Hello again," she says. Neji just nods his head pulling out some of his supplies and opening his already scribbled in notebook. "Was this class a choice or mandatory?"

"A choice," he says, his words simple and clean cut. She gets the vibe he is serious about his school work and doesn't want to fool around. She gives him props for taking this class as an elective. She would never have taken it if she didn't have to it. It is much too hard for her liking and she doesn't enjoy the subject much.

"I didn't get to pick." She notices Neji doesn't want to talk and pushes back in her seat, her pencil between her fingers. She plays with the pencil as she goes over her dance in her head, her feet moving under her desk.

"Stop," Neji says, his words sharp.

She lets out a sign and stops moving her feet around. She goes over the steps again in her head, this time imagining her body moving to the music. She is pulled out of her little world when the teacher walks in.

"I'm Anko-sensei and I'll be teaching you calculus."

She is going to fail.

* * *

**[Author's Note: **I hope you like the new chapter! I don't know how regular updates will be. I have a few pre-written chapters, but after that updates might be once or twice a week with school work and everything. We will see. I hope you enjoyed the second chapter! Reviews are loved!**]**


	3. Chapter 3

**Three**

"Emiko, may I see you in my office," Emiko is shocked by the instructors words and all her friends seem to give her a look between jealousy and hate. She shallows and nods her head, saying a quick goodbye to her friends before walking across the practice room. She takes in a deep breath before stepping into the office, cursing her lungs for aching at this point. She is about to mutter a hello, when the inspector interrupts her. "Sit."

She nods her head, the nervous fluttering around in her stomach. She feels the vile run up her esophagus, but pushes it back down. She doesn't know what to say so she decides to keep her mouth shut. She doesn't want to make the instructor mad. She knows that wouldn't be a good idea. She resorts to twiddling her thumbs out of nervousness, her eyes on the floor.

"Look at me," the instructor commands. Emiko's head instantly snaps up. She would never disobey her instructor especially at this crucial point in her career. She could have no career if the instructor decided she was being rude and blacklisted her so no school would let her in. "I just thought I would give you the good news. That dance you showed me yesterday, it will be the only solo entered in the big competition next week."

She can't help it when her mouth drops; she swears it could hit the ground. Emiko's eyes are nearly out of her sockets as she starts at her instructor, who is just looking back at her expectedly. Emiko suddenly realized that she is supposed to say something, say thank you. "T-thank you. T-thank you so much. I won't let you down."

"You better not let me down," the instructor threatens. Emiko nods her head. She gets the point. She messes up and she goes back to the bottom of the pyramid. "Now, I will see you bright and early tomorrow. You will be staying later then the rest so I can work with you on that dance." Emiko nods her head, standing up in her seat. She sucks in a short breath, because her feet hurt, but she can't show that she is in pain. She can't loss her spot.

"Thank you," Emiko smiles, walking to the door. She nearly runs across the room to go tell her grandmother the good news.

* * *

She is late for school and limping even more than she was yesterday. She limps into her second period class nice and late and tries to ignore the eyes on her as she slips into her desk, pulling out her books. She glances up at the board, noticing the way Anko-sensei is looking at her. She gives her a small smile and climbs out of her chair, handing her the late slip she was supposed to give right when she walked in.

She goes back to her desk with Anko-sensei nods her head in understanding, turning to the board and scribbling across it. Emiko lets a sigh leave her lips and pulls out her bottle of water drinking half of it in one long gulp. She jumps in her seat when she notices Neji has turned around, his eyes on her form. She swallows as his eyes scan her, looking for something.

"You are worse than yesterday," he states. She nods her head, slipping her drink back into her bag and pulling out a pencil to start taking the notes scribbled across the board. She doesn't realize Neji is still looking at her. She didn't think Neji, being so serious about school, would waist so much time looking at her. "Why is that?"

"We are competing in the biggest competition of the year in two weeks. I have a solo and I have to practice extra," she explains, her hand scribbling the notes at the same time. Neji nods his head at the answer and doesn't bother to ask any more questions. He turns around in his seat and he is silent the rest of the class, scribbling notes illegibly into his notebook.

She bolts out of the class as fast as her wounded feet will take her and stuffs her books into her locker. She gets out the necessary books for homework and walks down the hall, waving to Naruto on the way. He frowns sadly at her, because he knows it is a busy time for her. She gives him a small smile before making her way to the gym for her next class.

She gets to sit out during gym class. The school has made a deal with her because of dance. She can't risk hurting herself, especially not at a time like this. She uses the time to do most of her homework, because dance takes up most of her time right now and even though school has just started homework is already being thrown at them.

She is surprised when Neji walks over to her during the first water break, two people following behind him. She has only seen the other two people during class in one class or the other, but she hasn't ever talked to them. She remembers Rock Lee. His loud voice used to go right through her in their physics class last year. Tenten she isn't as familiar with. They had a class together for a few days but Emiko ended up transferring out.

"Hello, Emiko, I don't know if you remember me, but we had a class together for a while last year," Tenten says. Emiko sigh inwardly, looking down at her homework for a moment before looking back up at the three. They don't get the hint.

"Yes, I do remember you, Tenten. It is good to see you again. I hope you did well in that class last year. I would have failed if I stayed in it," she says, her voice not showing the annoyance she felt. "Lee, how are you?" She doesn't need Lee introducing himself as well and trying to tug at her memory.

"Why aren't you enjoying gym?" he asks, his voice much louder than she would like. She can practically see the fire in his eyes as he talks about gym. People always said he was the mini Guy-sensei and she could see it already. "It is so much fun!"

"I have a doctor's note to get out of gym, for the year," she brushes this off. She knows other people will be curious as to why she has such a thing, but she doesn't feel like going into detail and practically praises Guy-sensei when he blows the whistle to signify that everyone needs to gather again. "I'll see you later then." She sends them a smile as they walk away. She notices the way Neji glances at her when they are back in the group, their eyes meeting for a second. She pulls her gaze away quickly, piling up her books and making her way to the library.

There are too many distractions in gym class.

* * *

**[Author's Note:** I hope everyone liked it! The plot will get thicker soon. I promise! Some drama will be happening in the near future! Anyway, please drop a review!

I would also like to say a special thanks to Airheadninja for reviewing!**]**


	4. Chapter 4

**Four**

The next day her ankles are wrapped and she can't seem to catch her breath. The whole school seems to notice, watching her as she limps down the hall, wincing with every step. She doesn't bother to linger. She just wants to get out of view and stop drawing attention to herself. She lets out a sigh when she slips into her desk in class, a good ten minutes earlier than normal.

She grabs her books out of her bag and takes a long sip of the Gatorade she brought with her to school today. She slips it in her bag as Neji walks in. She is surprised to see him here this early. She doesn't know why people like to come to class early unless they have to, which is her case today. She shouldn't stand for long on her ankles.

She notices the way his eyes trail down her legs, stopping on the ace bandages around her ankles. Neji's eyes narrow for a slit second before he snaps his head back up, his milky eyes meeting her green eyes. She gives him a small smile, which he doesn't return. He simply sits down in his seat, pulling out his books and opening his text book to the homework they did the previous night.

* * *

It's sudden. Neji has only read over four sentences when he hears Emiko take in a sharp breath. He could hear her wheezing when he walked in, but her ankles drew the most attention. He realizes now that the wheezing is what people should be worrying about.

He cringes at the cough that escaped her lips and he can hear her rummaging through her bags, looking for something. He takes his eyes off his text book and looks behind him, noticing how much effort it is taking for her chest to rise and fall with air. He doesn't know what to do in that moment. She can't find what she is looking for in her bag and breaths out a curse.

Neji's eyes widen slightly when she turns to him. He can see how pale her skin is getting. "N-Neji," she breaths. He suddenly knows what to do. He gets out of his seat, his calm demeanor still solidified on his face. He nods his head when he holds his hand out, helping her out of her seat. She gives him a small smile, a weak smile. He brings her arm around his shoulder, supporting most of her weight.

He walks to the door as fast as possible without hurting her. The teacher walks in just then and when her eyes land on Emiko, she instantly moves to the side, letting the two pass. The nurse's office is only down the hall and he has to push his way through the crowd to get there. No one moves. They are all to absorbed in their conversations to do anything.

The nurse hurries over to them when they walk through the door and Neji explains what happened, because Emiko can't talk at this point. She can't get enough oxygen in her lungs to even sit up properly. The nurse lifts her chin up, her eyes widening at the blue now forming around her lips. This can't be good.

"I'll have to call the hospital," the nurse says. Emiko shakes her head, reaching her hand out to yank the phone out of the nurse's hands. The hand simply falls and Neji can see the blue lining her fingernails.

The coughing starts seconds later and she can't seem to catch her breath. Neji doesn't know what to do now. He didn't know she even had asthma in the first place. He doesn't even know her that well. He's only known her for a few days. He can't do anything to help. He shouldn't be expected to do anything to help. He nearly lets out a sigh of relief when the nurse shoos him out of the room and back to class.

He can hear the sound of the sirens as he walks back down the hall. The whole school is in a panic now, gossip already flying around about the situation. He ignores everyone and pushes his way through the crowd gathering around the nurse's office.

* * *

She groans, blinking her eyes open. She starts to panic when she feels something over her mouth, but her Grandmother is there and a hand is on her shoulder. She feels comforted in an instant, relaxing as a nurse walks into the room. The nurse takes off the mask and she can already feel it affecting her lungs. "I know you just woke up, but we need to talk to you." Emiko nods her head, signally for the nurse to go on.

Emiko glances at her Grandmother who seems to have a sad look on her face. She doesn't know what to expect now. "Emiko, this is going to take some time to fully recover. On top of your asthma you also had some problems from untreated pneumonia." Emiko nods her head. She knows what direction this is going in. "You will have to take at least two weeks to recover from this and ease your way back. We are going to put you on some meds and we will see you back in a week and then another."

She can feel the tears coming to her eyes. She remembers when she had pneumonia. She didn't think that it would cause her this many problems in the future. "B-but, I have my competition n-next weekend." She glances at her grandmother, who looks at her sadly, taking her hand and giving it a tight squeeze.

"I'm sorry," the nurse says. Emiko breaks down into tears then. She doesn't know what to do about this. She can't not dance. This will jeopardize everything she has worked for in her life. This will put her back at the bottom and she needs to be on the top.

She cries into her grandmother's shoulder until she falls back to sleep, her lungs on fire and the mask replaced to help her breath through the night.

* * *

**[Author's Note:** I hope you enjoyed! I'm hoping to update once or twice a week! Thanks for all the favorites and follows. Reviews are loved!**]**


	5. Chapter 5

**Five**

She doesn't listen to the doctors. She is supposed to miss school for a few days, but she goes anyway. She is supposed to miss dance for a weeks, but she goes anyway. She can't risk losing her spot on top and she is already falling behind in school and they only started a week ago.

It's Friday. She relishes the fact that she gets to sleep in tomorrow. She doesn't have school and she doesn't have to worry about homework. She only has four hours of dance tomorrow. It's already a good day.

Calculus is when her day turns around. She trips on her way into class, her ankle twisting the wrong way. People try to help her, but she tells them that she can do it, thank you. She doesn't need their help. She uses the wall to help herself up, wincing when she puts weight on her ankle. She doesn't let it bother her. She limps to her desk, sitting herself down and pulling out her text books. She smiles at Neji as he walks in.

"Shouldn't you be at home?" he asks, slipping into the desk. She nods her head, not bothering to utter a word and takes a long sip of her water, her lung burning when she pulls the bottle away from her lips. She shouldn't have drunken so much. "You don't look good."

"I realize that, but I have more important things to do then sit around and do nothing because I'm sick," she tells him, capping her water and putting it in her bag. She pulls out her inhaler and takes in a long breath of it, her lung already feeling a bit better. Neji nods his head and turns his attention to the board. The teacher has started talking now and the class is quiet.

* * *

She huffs and puffs as she limps to the stadium. She winces when her feet hit the ground, _every time_ her feet hit the ground. It hurts, but she pushes the pain aside, hoping the Advil will kick in soon, and marches forward, determination in her step as the sound of the crowd reaches her ears.

It's just before half time when she walks onto the bleachers. Konoha High is up by a goal, but the other team is obviously pushing and shoving illegally by the amount of injured Konoha players on the bench. She notices Naruto on the field, yelling out to one of his teammates and passing him the ball, quickly moving back to his position in front of the goal.

She lets a small smile fall over her lips and makes her way up toward the top of the bleachers. She finds an open spot, not very close to too many people and pushes her way to it, wincing when someone steps on her foot. As if her day couldn't get any worse. She lets out a sigh when she gets to the seat, plopping down and zipping her jacket up to cover her leotard.

She sits around as the rest of the crowd goes to the concession stand at half time. She doesn't need anything to eat and she doesn't feel like walking all the way down to walk all the way up. She finds it peaceful when everyone files out to get food. She likes the idea of not having to sit up against someone she doesn't know.

"Is someone sitting there?" She jumps at the sound of the voice, looking up to find Neji standing over her. She furrows her eyebrows, tilting her head to the side in question. He only stares at her, waiting for an answer to leave her lips.

"Oh no, not that I know of. I came late, but please, sit. I don't want to site next to someone I don't know," she tells him. Neji nods his head, stepping over her and sitting down in the seat. Emiko doesn't let the silence between them last more than two minutes before she tries to start a conversation. "So, why are you here?"

"Lee made me came," he grumbles, sticking his hands in his pockets and leaning against the fence behind him. Emiko lets out a short laugh.

"Hm, Naruto made me come as well. I mean, I don't mind, but this isn't much my scene," she explains. Neji doesn't say anything else and she realizes she should just give up on a conversation. It is getting crowded anyway and a conversation would be hard to continue over a crowd of cheering people at a close game.

The game gets stated only a few minutes later and Emiko focuses her attention on the game, ignoring the funny feeling she gets in the pit of her stomach, the feeling that someone is looking at her. She cheers every time Naruto makes a save and if it is a particularly good save she will stand up with the rest of the crowd.

Konoha High manages to pull out the win after an amazing save by Naruto and the crowd literally goes wild. Emiko can't move until the stands are at least half empty in fear of getting run over by crazy fans. When she finally managed to wiggle her way through the crowd she says a proper goodbye to Neji and takes the steps one at a time, making sure no one will knock her down or step on her feet.

"Naruto!" She calls when she gets to the bottom of the stand. She sees Naruto turn, his grin growing even wider when he sees her. Naruto runs over to greet. "That was an amazing save!"

"You made it!" Naruto ignores her compliment and lifts Emiko over the small fence before pulling her into a hug. She lets out a small giggle, wrinkling her nose when she gets a good whiff of him.

"Eww, Naruto, you stink," she laughs, pulling away and slapping him on the shoulder. He laughs at well, a hand scratching the back of his head.

"Sorry about that." Emiko shacks her head and merely pulls him closer, another hug ensuing until she can't take the smell and she pulls away again. "Thanks for coming."

"I wouldn't have missed it. You know I have to go to at least one game of the season and despite the fact I'm late, I think I picked a good game. I'll have to try to make it to another one."

"That would be awesome!"

"Yeah, it would," she smiles. Naruto doesn't stop beaming as a few people greet him, wishing him congratulations, Emiko by his side the whole time.

She doesn't miss Neji though, standing at the exit like he is waiting for someone. She sends him a small smile and he nods his head, his eyes shooting toward his cousin, who is now running over to him, breathless. Emiko gives him a small wave before turning her attention back to a smiling Naruto, who invited her out for drinks, which she kindly refuses.

* * *

**[Author's Note:** Hello! I hope you liked the chapter! I just wanted to say a few things. Naruto and Emiko are going to have a very close friendship, which will be good for Emiko and help her grow. This is a Neji love story! There will be no romantic feelings between Naruto and Emiko. I am not making this a love triangle. That is really all I have to say at this point.

Thank you so much for reading, following, make the story a favorite and reviewing! I love reviews!**]**


	6. Chapter 6

**Six**

She lets out a shaky breath, her eyes closed as she concentrates. Emiko's feet ache, but she ignores it, because that is what she always does. She opens her eyes when the music starts, the first count of eight goes by and she starts to dance, her feet taking her across the floor. At this point the steps just happen. She doesn't have to do much thinking. She focuses on her smile, something she has never been good at. She lets is spread wide across her features, but she can't shake the fakeness of it. She hates that.

The music stops and she lets out a sigh, her fake smile sliding off her lips and her serious, 'I need to get to the top as soon as possible' face covering her face. She spins around, crossing the floor to take a long sip of her water. She nearly chocks on the liquid when she notices Neji walk into the outer hallway, which can be seen through the glass in the dance room.

She coughs as the liquid moves down her throat, drawing attention to herself. Her eyes are like saucers when he turns to her, his milky eyes meeting her own. She nearly has a panic attack, because dance is away from school and from her friends and from her life. She doesn't like it when the two mix, because they aren't supposed to mix. She finds herself taking two long strides to the right, hiding behind the door.

Emiko's breathing is heaving as she hears voices outside. Neji doesn't seem too happy to be here. She has no idea who the other voice belongs to. She has no idea why he would ever come here. She doesn't want him to come here.

She feels the door behind her push a bit, and she nearly falls face first into the ground, before stumbling away, turning numbly to the door. She looks down at a little girl who looks oddly like Neji. She has the same pale white eyes as him. She didn't know that he had a sister. She shakes her head, her eyes moving up to find Neji standing behind the young girl. "Hello," the little girl smiles, running past Emiko toward the instructor's office. She wants to stop the girl, tell her not to go in, that the instructor is in a bad mood. She doesn't though. She can't take her eyes off Neji.

"W-What are you doing here?" she manages to get out, her whole body still ridge as she switches the weight from one leg to the other. She could really use a seat at this point. She crosses her arm insecurely over her small stomach and glances back at the instructor's closed door before her eyes meet Neji's again. "I didn't know you had a sister."

"I don't." Neji's works are thick with annoyance. She can tell he doesn't want to talk. He never wants to talk. It isn't anything new, but she wants to know why he is here. She wants to know who the little girl is. She doesn't take her eyes off Neji and eventually a sigh leaves his lips in defeat. "That's Hinata's sister. I got pick up duty today," he grumbles. She nods her head, because that makes more sense. She did know Hinata had a sister. She should have guessed.

"Is this her first year? I know most of the students here, but I've never seen her," Emiko asks. Neji simply nods his head, his eyes flashing toward the still closed door. He turns his attention back to Emiko, but doesn't say anything. She can feel his gaze on her, taking in her condition. She is probably breathing heavily, she has been dancing for hours now, and her point shoes have fresh blood covering the ends. People outside of the dance community don't usually understand what she has to go through, what all the dancers have to go through.

The sound of the door opening and feet running across the room draws their gazes apart, the silence between them now broken. Emiko swallows the lump in her throat and turns to look at the little girl running happily across the floor. Emiko didn't realize that she is older than she first thought. She isn't the age of someone who should be just starting their dancing career.

The little girl smiles at Emiko and steps out of the room, turning to her. "Excuse me," her voice startles Emiko and she looks down at the little girl. "Can I see you dance? Just once." Emiko doesn't know what to say. She finds herself look up at Neji, who has an annoyed expression on his face. She can tell he wants to leave now.

She looks back down at the girl's face and the smile that is covering her lips is hard to say no to. She finds herself forming the words for yes with her lips, shocking even herself at this point. She doesn't want to dance in front of people. She doesn't want to till the actual competition in a few days. She isn't supposed to dance for people before the competition, but the little girl looks so happy. She glances up at Neji and gives him a small smile.

She walks across the dance floor, her feet aching and clicks the music on. She turns and gives the girl a small smile before turning back to look at herself in the mirror. She dances every step near perfect as she glides across the floor. She is out of breath by the end, her lungs burning as her chest heaves up and down. She wants to fall to the ground. She doesn't let herself. She limps over to the door, her bag in the corner, and pulls out her inhaler, taking a breath of it before tossing it back into her bag. She opens the door back up and smiles at the small girl.

She can't get words out of her lips, because her breath is gone, but the little girl's smile says it all and she doesn't know what to say. "I'm going to be just like you when I'm your age," she smiles. Emiko loses her breath, because she is a bad influence. She works to hard, hurts her own body, works through illnesses she should be sitting out with. She isn't supposed to be a role model, but the words take her by surprise and she can't catch her breath.

She finds herself on the ground, her head spinning. She doesn't know how to react. She manages to get catch her breath, surprised when she feels Neji's hands gripping her elbow, helping her off the ground. She dusts herself off; her fingers shacking as she looks up at the girl and meets her light eyes. "Thank you," Emiko breaths. The girl nods, turning on her heels and heading toward the door, she looks back, her eyes on Neji as she waits for him.

"You should be more careful," he mutters before following the girl out the door. She can only stare at the door. She doesn't believe his words. She doesn't believe she just danced for him.

She jumps at the instructor's voice telling her to go home five minutes later. She wants to protest, but she doesn't have the energy. She only nods her head, taking off her point shoes and wrapping her toes before heading to the car.

* * *

**[Author's Note: **Thank you for all the reviews! I'm sorry my spelling and grammar are bad, but no matter how much I read over them, I still don't catch some things. I try, but I just can't catch them all.

Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! More drama to come, promise!**]**


	7. Chapter 7

**Seven**

Neji can respect a talent when he sees one and Emiko definitely has a talent. When she danced, it was like you were drawn in and it was only her in the room, invading all your thoughts and never letting your mind wander. Emiko's movements where so fluid, they were so precise and beautiful. He didn't know someone could have such talent as she does for dance. It is her whole being when she is out on the stage.

* * *

He watches her as she walks into school the next day. She is limping, her ankles wrapped and her shoes loose to let her feet breath. He can see how much effort it is taking her to breath, because she won't rest. She won't take a break from her incredible talent. She sits behind him in class and he doesn't yell at her to stop her feet from moving today. He doesn't talk to her at all that day. Emiko makes no attempt to start a conversation like she usually does, but he doesn't care. He doesn't want to talk.

He never noticed how graceful she is all the time. She walks down the hall with perfect posture, her feet gliding across the floor in a way so much like her dancing. She incorporates her dance into everything she does. He doesn't know how that is even possible, but every aspect of her being is dance. It practically radiates off of her.

Just watching her dance that once showed him how much she loves what she does. It showed him how much dancing really means to her.

* * *

She avoids Neji all day. She can feel his eyes on her, but ignores it, because she doesn't want to know how bad she was. She doesn't want to know what he thought of her dance. She doesn't care. The instructor seems pleased with it and that is all that matters to her, because the instructor is the one who can get her to the top and help her become something in the business.

She sucks in a deep breath when she walks out of school, her foot hitting the step wrong and casing a bull ache to form in her toes. She grabs onto the railing for a second, catching her breath as she lets the pain subside. She ignores the people looking at her, because they don't understand what this is. They don't understand her love for dance.

"Do you need help?" Neji asks, startling her. She turns; blinking her eyes to make sure it is actually him and not a figment of her imagination. She doesn't know what to say. She needs help, yes, but she doesn't want to accept help. She can do it by herself.

"No, I'm good, but thank you," she tells him. Neji nods his head, walking down the steps and hurrying to his car. She watches as he tosses his bag into the back seat. He looks back at her before he gets into the car, his eyes finding hers. He rips their gazes apart as he climbs into the car, putting it into reverse and leaving. She lets out a low breath and is surprised when the weight of her backpack leaves her shoulder.

"I got it," Naruto smiles. Emiko returns the smile and lets the backpack slid off her shoulder and into his grip. She lets go of the railing, sliding her hand over it as she makes her way down the rest of the stairs. The two friends walk in silence as they make their way to her car. "Emiko?" Naruto asks when her car comes into view.

She turns to look at him, her eyes taking in the look of worry on his face. "What is it?" she asks. She doesn't know how to react to his worried gaze. He doesn't usually look sad or worried. He is always so careful and happy and this is such a change.

"I'm worried about you," he says. She wants to interrupt him, tell him not to worry, but he goes on before any words can leave her lips. "Everyone notices how tired you are and how bad you're limping. It's never been this bad before. I'm worried you're pushing yourself to much this year. I know you want it. I know you want it more than anything, but you have to take a break. Your body is tired and I think a few days off would be good for you. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

She doesn't know what to say. She has only ever heard words of worry from her grandmother. She loves Naruto for this reason. This is why he is her best friend. He worries about her, unlike everyone else in her life (expect her grandmother) and she couldn't be happier that he worries about her like this. "Naruto," she whispers. She can feel tears coming and nearly chokes on her own words. "Thank you." He scratches the back of his head, and nods. "Thank you for being worried." She clarifies, because she doesn't think Naruto knows what she meant with her first thank you.

"Um, yeah, that's what friends are for," he stampers, his words rushed as he shrugs his shoulders. She lets out a teary laugh and pulls him into a hug, their bags falling off his shoulder and onto the ground. The tears are now flowing freely and Naruto wraps his arms around her shacking body, rubbing comforting circles over her back.

Everything is so stressful at competition times, especially now that she has a solo. She is happy Naruto will listen to her and just let her cry if she needs to. He doesn't say anything. He holds her to his body for as long as she needs and is just there for her. She can't thank him enough in words. She couldn't be happier to have him in her life.

She pulls away a few minutes later, Naruto's hands resting on her shoulders. She gives him a small smile. "Thanks, I think I'm good, at least for now, "she tells him. Naruto nods his head and picks up their forgotten backpacks, opening her door and tossing them in the passenger's seat.

"I'm always here if you need to talk," Naruto reassures with a smile. She smiles, because she knows it is true. She knows he will always have her back and always be there for her.

"Do you want to come to my competition Saturday? I know you haven't ever been, because I told you you're not allowed, but do you want to come?" She can't stop the words before they slip out of her mouth, shocking Naruto as well as herself. She has always stressed that she doesn't want him there. She was always too insecure, but he is Naruto. He is her best friend.

"Yeah, of course I'll come!" She lets a soft laugh leave her lips, her eyes watering as she gives him one more quick hug. She smiles as she walks around the car, opening the driver's door.

"Thanks, I'll see you tomorrow." He nods his head, waving to her until she can't see him standing in the parking lot any more.

* * *

**[Author's Note: **School is overwhelming and killing me at the moment. Updates will be very slow. I'm drowning in all the work.

Favorites, follows and reviews will cheer me up.**]**


	8. Chapter 8

**Eight**

She coughs a lot now. Her lungs just start to hurt and she coughs a lot. It always happens at the worst time too. She could be in the middle of a test or a dance and just break down in coughs, her whole body shaking. She hasn't really complained much about her cough, but when she is about to go on stage and her lungs start to ache and she can't hold in the cough, she doesn't know what to do.

She tries to drink water, but the coughs ripples through her body and she can't get it to stop. The announcer has already said her name and she needs to go on stage. She needs to do her solo, but she can't catch her breath.

It's the last call. The coughing slows down and she holds her breath, walking out onto the stage. A cough leaves her lungs walking out, but she keeps walking, placing her fake smile on her lips. She turns to face the audience and looks to the judges, giving them a small apologetic smile before her fake show smile is places back on her lips.

The music starts.

She can feel it in her whole body. The cough just wants to leave her lips, but she swallows it down and keeps dancing, her feet aching in her rarely used show slippers. She does every step, the smile on her lips, and she can't seem to make out her surroundings. All that matters is the dance. She moves her feet and the song ends and she bows.

It's then. She doesn't even make it off the stage before her body collides to the ground, coughs leaving her lips to the point she feels like she is going to cough up a lung. There are people who have gathered around her and she just wants them to get away, because she needs air. She can't breathe and she needs some air.

"She needs her inhaler." She furrows her eyebrows, looking up only to find Neji's eyes looking down at her. He kneels over, Naruto following suit and the two pick her up off the ground, slinging an arm over each pair of shoulders. "Come on." The people around them move a bit and she is carried in the direction of her dressing room.

"Why are you here?" she asks, her eyes looking up at Neji. She never realized how much taller he was compared to her. He looks at her.

"Hinata's sister is dancing. I was forced to come," he explains. She nods her head, annoyed she didn't know this. She wishes he wasn't here. She wishes he didn't see her like this or know what to do in this situation. She can take care of herself.

They carry her into the dressing room, making sure all the girls are decent before stepping in. They sit her on the bench, turning her to the side and putting her feet up. Naruto sits behind her and she leans into him, her eyes closed for a second before her inhaler is shoved in her face. She looks up at Neji and he trusts it into her shaking hands. She sighs and takes in a long breath of it, her coughing craved lungs already calming down. She tosses it to the side, her hands reaching for the cold water next to her as she takes in a long sip.

"Thank guys," she mumbles, her eyes not looking at either of the males. They both mumble a 'you're welcome.'

She perks up a bit when she hears her grandmother coming, but she is yelling at someone. She doesn't know who. She hardly recognizes the voice, but she can't put a finger on the owner. She smiles when her grandmother enters the room, slamming the door on the person she was previously yelling at.

"Honey," her grandmother mumbles, cradling Emiko's cheek in her hand. "Why do you push yourself like this?" Emiko simply shrugs her shoulders, pushing closer to Naruto's warm body. Grandma sits herself down at her feet, her fingers moving over Emiko's ankles to take off the point shoes. Emiko can't help but let out a satisfied sigh when her feet are free. "You were beautiful."

She loves her grandmother's soft voice. It is like music to her ears. She gives her grandmother a small smile. "Thank you," she breaths, she scrunches her nose up at the way her voice cracks. She takes another sip of her cold water.

"You were amazing! I've only ever seen you dance down the hallways at school, but this was something else. It was out of this world, believe it!" Naruto exclaims. Emiko lets out a little chuckle and thanks him as well.

It's Neji. She doesn't expect any words to leave his lips. She would never peg him as a compliment kind of guy. "Yeah, you're pretty good," he tells her. It isn't beautiful or out of this world, but she doesn't care. That is probably one of the nicest complements she'll ever get from him.

She smiles and nods her head in thanks.

Emiko's eyes dart to the door when it is opened, her brows furrowing when she notices a middle aged man standing there, pulling at his collar nervously. She blinks, because she recognizes him. She glances at her grandmother, who has a frown on her lips, shacking her had. That must have been the person she was yelling at.

She turns her head back toward the male and narrows her eyes. "What do you want?" It's like venom leaving her lips. Both teenage boys look at her startled.

"I thought I would come watch one of your shows," he says, stepping closer. She glares at him, watching as he takes a nervous step back. It's been years since she last saw him and now he thinks he can just waltz in and be part of her life.

"Just leave me alone, dad," she snaps.

She ignores Naruto's and Neji's shocked faces.

* * *

**[Author's** **Note: **I hope everyone liked the little twist and the competition. I hope you weren't expecting such a thing to happen to her at the competition and after.

The next update will come sometime in the next two weeks. School is killing me right now and I don't have much spear time.**]**


	9. Chapter 9

**Nine**

She lets out a slow sigh, turning to face her two friends. She gives them a small, weak smile. "I'll see you guys after it's over?" They both look at her, each unmoving. They don't know if they should leave her or not. They don't want to leave her. "I'll be fine. Just cross your figures I win," she smiles, but the smile doesn't quite reach her eyes.

"I'll be cheering for you!" Naruto nearly yells. This gets a chuckle out of Emiko and he smiles, because that was his intention. "I'll wait for you after." She nods her head and shifts her weight off of him and onto her hands, now resting behind her body.

Naruto claps Neji on the shoulder and the two males turn to the door. Naruto gives her one last wave before walking out first. Neji simply turns and nods his head before he follows.

Emiko lets out another sign, turning her gaze to her father. She pushes herself up into a sitting position, and pulls her now wrapped feet to her body, wrapping her arms around her legs in a protective manner. "What are you doing here?" she asks. Emiko's voice is shaky and she squeezes her eyes shut, tears threatening to drip from them.

"I wanted to see you," he replies, taking a step closer. She flashes her eyes open and shoots a glare at him. He simply steps back to where he was and glances at Emiko's grandmother, who is frowning at him sadly, her eyes revealing just how disappointed she is in him.

"It's been ages now. You could have visited me earlier, like you promised. I needed my dad and you weren't here. I'm over that now. I don't need you now. Grandma is all I need and want," she explains. She can feel the tears of betrayal brimming her eyes, but she pushes them aside and keeps her glare steady.

"I'm sorry." It's his only reply. He doesn't exaggerate. He doesn't say what he is sorry for. He doesn't narrow it down to just one thing. It is a general I'm sorry for anything he's done to her. I'm sorry for not being here. I'm sorry for leaving you. I'm sorry for not calling. I'm sorry for not being at parent, teachers meetings. I'm sorry for everything wrong I've done in the past four years.

"It isn't that easy."

She doesn't say anything else. She only looks at him, willing him to say something else that she can shot down. He doesn't though. He nods his head, his eyes finding the ground and he turns, glancing back before he exits the room.

She cries into her grandmother's shoulder until she has to go back on stage for awards.

* * *

She gets first for her solo. She couldn't be happier. She needs help getting off the stage, but she couldn't be happier. It's when the instructor calls her over that starts to worry her. The instructor doesn't look very happy and she doesn't know why. It might because of the second they won in the group number, but that's all she can think of.

"Yes?" she asks, wincing when pain ripples up her legs from the short walk over to meet her instructor. She puts a small smile on her face to hide the pain.

"You are excused from practice for the next two weeks," the instructor says, causing Emiko's mouth to fall open in shock.

"Wait, what?" She doesn't quite understand.

"I'm lead to believe you are sick and I think it is affecting your dancing. I would like you to take two weeks off. I don't want you to step foot into the studio until you are feeling better. I don't need my best dancer killing herself to the point where she can't dance any longer. You have a future not worth ruining."

She is shocked. She can't even find words. The instructor doesn't let her find words. She walks away before she can even thank her for the wonderful compliment. She has never heard anything good leave that mouth before and to receive such a compliment is an honor.

She finally gets a hold of herself when she can feel her feet start to ache from standing too long. She limps her way over to the bench and sits down, slipping her Uggs on her feet, smiling at the warms they supply her toes with.

She stuffs all her things in her bag and slips a pair of sweatpants on. She pushes herself up off the bench and grabs her jacket, slipping it on. She yanks at her bag, frowning when it lands on the floor and resorts to dragging it out into auditorium where she'll find her friends and Grandmother.

She smiles when her grandmother comes into view, a bouquet of roses in her hand. "You did amazing. I'm so proud of you." She wraps her arms around her grandmother, her bag long forgotten.

She smiles, pulling away and taking the roses. She sticks her nose in the bouquet and takes a long whiff of the flowers, smiling as the smell fills her lungs. "Thank you," she says, grapping the stems.

"Hey! don't I get a hug!" She laughs as Naruto tackles her into a hug, causing her to loose balance. She ends up falling into his chest, the flowers crushed between them.

"The flowers!" She laughs and Naruto quickly pulls away, holding onto her shoulders to make sure she is steady. She notices the flowers are still in good condition and hands them back to her grandmother before pulling Naruto in for another hug, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for coming," she whispers into his ear.

"It was amazing, _you_ were amazing. I'm glad I got to come," he tells her. She smiles, her eyes squeezing shut before she pulls away from him. "Can I come to the next one?" She laughs and nods her head.

"Of course you can. I thought you would think it was boring though."

"Oh, it was boring and I may have been playing on my phone while you weren't dancing," he confesses. She shacks her head and gives him a little shove.

She withdraws herself from the conversation when her Grandmother starts to scold Naruto for doing such a thing during the show and starts to search for Neji. She smiles when she notices him in the corner with his family.

She limps her way over, waving when he finally catches sight of her. "Um, I just wanted to thank you for coming. I mean, I know it wasn't for me and all, but thanks. I appreciate the help earlier to…thanks."

"You're welcome," he replies, not bothering to say anything else. He flicks his gaze back to his family for a second, who are all absorbed with Neji's little cousin, and quickly flickers his eyes back toward Emiko. He bends down for a second and Emiko feels a pair of lips on her cheek for only a moment before the sensation is gone, heat now coursing through her cheeks. "You did good."

"Thanks," she mumbles, the blush darkening on her cheeks. Neji nods his head and turns back toward his family and Emiko does the same, limping back to her grandmother and Naruto, who are still bickering.

"Stop arguing, I wanna go home and rest," she laughs, smiling. Naruto nods his head.

"Do you want a piggy back ride?" She jumps on his back without an answer and the two almost tumble over, but Naruto manages to catch his footing and he stumbles a bit before hiking her up his back. "I'll take that as a yes!"

"Let's go!" Their laughs echo through the place as Naruto carries her in the direction of the door, her Grandmother grabbing her forgotten bag before following the pair out, chuckling to herself.

* * *

**[Author's Note:** I hope you liked the chapter. I'm going to work on getting Emiko and Neji's relationship to the next level now and I hope you enjoyed the little progress they made in this chapter.

I'm sorry if there were mistakes. I didn't read it over very many time like I usually do.

Thanks for the follows, favorites, and reviews. I love them and they make my day **]**


	10. Chapter 10

**Ten**

She doesn't come into school the next few days. After she misses her third day of school he decides to approach Naruto with the question of her whereabouts. He doesn't know how to do that. He doesn't usually worry about people like this, but he finds himself missing her annoying voice behind him in math class and he can't help but miss her pattering feet under her desk. He doesn't know what's wrong with him.

"Hey, Neji!" He turns around, closing his locker in the process and notices Naruto running over to him, waving a hand above his head like yelling wouldn't work to catch his attention. "I need to talk to you about Emiko." Neji wonders how Naruto read his mind.

"What is it?" He asks impatiently. He doesn't need people actually knowing that he is worried about her.

"She's having a little trouble with the math homework and was wondering if you would help her out. She asked me to ask you, because she doesn't have your number." Naruto finishes, a smile on his lips and Neji doesn't really know what to do. He only wanted to know what was wrong with her, not to help her with math homework.

He stays silent for a while and it's weird, because he doesn't want to say yes, but his finds his mouth forming the words and agreeing to help her out. "When should I go see her?" He doesn't understand why his mouth is moving on its own. He needs to go home and worry about himself and his own school work, not worry about some girl that pushes herself to hard and ends up hurting herself in the process.

"That's awesome, believe it! I'll let her know. She said to tell you to come over after school sometime if you said yes," Naruto nearly yells, his voice echoing down the near empty hallway. Neji simply sends him a little glare and slips his backpack up his shoulder.

"Fine, tell her I'll be there soon," he grumbles.

He can't help that little part of his gut that wants to go and see her.

* * *

He knocks tentatively on the door and takes in a deep breath. He doesn't know why he is nervous, but he pushes it aside when the door opens. It's Emiko. She looks different. He can see the rings around her eyes, her bloodshot eyes. She obviously hasn't slept in a while. He never realized that her hair wasn't naturally straight. She has never worn it to school (since he has known her) with it in natural curls like it is now. He doesn't understand why she straightens it. He likes it like that. She is only wearing pajamas.

"Neji," she sounds surprised and he wonders if Naruto forgot to tell her that he agreed to help her with her calculus homework. "Why are you here?"

"You asked if I could help with calculus," he says, annoyed already. He should never have agreed to do this. There are so many people in that class that could have helped her and he should have just gotten one of them to do it.

"Oh! I totally forgot! I'm sorry. I've been a bit scatterbrained. You can come in." She steps to the side, letting him enter before shutting the door behind her. She leads him into a room that looks like a dining room and tells him to make himself at home and asks if he wants anything to drink. He doesn't and she sits down across from him. "Um, thanks for doing this for me. I've been a bit scatterbrained."

"You just said that…"

"Oh, I did! I'm sorry. I'm just, well…we should get started!" She smiles at him and it doesn't reach her eyes and he wonders what is going on, because this isn't the normal Emiko he is so used to now. This isn't the same girl he meant that first day of school. He hasn't even seen her dance once since he walked into the house. She usually dancing her way from one place to the next.

"You need a book," he states. He decides not to ask. He doesn't pry into people's lives like that. He wouldn't want people to pry into his life like that. She responds with a long sigh, blowing some of her long bangs out from in front of her eyes. She pushes the stray hairs behind her ear and pushes out from the table, running up a flight of stairs before she comes back down with a backpack in hand, her breath short. She shuffles through it a bit and pulls out a book, letting it slam against the table. "You missed a lot of stuff. Let's get started."

She's overwhelmed by the end of it and somehow she convinces Neji to come back the next day. He doesn't want to, but when she begs and pleads and asks him if he will help her and she can't do it on her own, he can't say no. He is rewarded with a smile, one that almost reaches her eyes. He nods his head, stuffing his things into his backpack and making his way to the door without her.

"Wait!" She stops him and he can see her limping over to him, her breath hitches and he thinks she is going to fall to the ground, but she doesn't. She catches the frame of the door and gives him a weak smile before placing herself on two feet again. "Thanks." She walks closer to him. "I really appreciate this." She already said that.

"You don't look so good," he comments, because anyone who saw her would say the same thing. She doesn't look good. "You should get some rest." She smiles and nods her head.

"I will. I probably won't be in school for the rest of the week, maybe not next either. I'm not sure yet. I've been in a…I don't know." Neji gets it. She doesn't feel comfortable telling him yet. He can't help that gut feeling that is telling him Naruto knows. He pushes it away just like he did before. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

He is about to say yes, he will see her tomorrow, but a pair of lips touch his for simply a second and he can't seem to process the thoughts going through his head. He blinks his light eyes, watching as she smiles to herself. "I'll see you tomorrow," she says again and he nods his head.

He walks down her front steps and down the little path, only to hear her voice reach his ears again, her breath short as she walks closer to him, a piece of paper flying in the air. She smiles and slips it in his hand, turning back without saying anything else. She waves as he gets into his car, looking at the slip of paper.

It's her phone number.


	11. Chapter 11

**Eleven**

She has never been one for the rules. She usually cooperates, because she doesn't want to take on the consequences, but this rule put on her, of no dancing, it isn't going to work. She finds herself sitting in bed, day in and day out just staring at the wall. The most she has done is study with Neji and she forgets everything he taught her even after he so kindly took the time too.

It takes her a week to get the courage to go to the studio. It is a Friday, which has never been a busy day there. She climbs out of her bed and put on her leotard before staring at herself in the mirror. It looks like she got run over by a truck. She has bags upon bags under her eyes, making it look like someone punched her in the face and her skin is pretty pale from her lack of food intake. She doesn't much care though. The only thing that has come out of this is the fact she can almost breathe normal now. She can feel her lungs healing, as much as they should be for a girl with asthma that is. She doesn't limp any more either.

She finally rips her gaze from her broken body and starts down her stairs. She grabs her dance bag and a bottle of water before she heads to the door, grabbing her keys off the little hook. She is glad her grandmother isn't home to stop her.

She places her hand on the door knob, pulling it open. She goes to step out, her eyes on the ground. She has to jump back when a foot comes into view and she almost steps on it. She pulls her gaze from the ground and meets Neji's cool gaze. He blinks a few times, surprised, and she gives him a small smile.

"You aren't here to stop me, right?" She can tell he is utterly confused by her question. She knows it was a silly question, asking if he was going to stop her. He doesn't even know where she is going or that she can't dance.

"What would I stop you from doing?" he asks, his voice like silk. She gives him a small smile, because she can and because she _wants _too.

"Dancing. I didn't know if you knew th-"

"That you were ban from the studio. I am aware." She gives him a questioning look. "Naruto doesn't shut up and he seems to think something is going on between us and didn't realize you didn't tell me." Emiko nods her head slowly, making a little note to herself to kill Naruto.

"Wait, he thinks there is…something…between…us?" She looks up at him and can't stop the hopeful look in her eyes, because she would like that. She wants to have something going on between them. Hence, she kissed him the other day, which was partly because she wasn't thinking straight and partly because she just wanted too.

"He seems to think so." Neji simple shrugs off the idea. "I'll drive you then. That way someone can stop you if you push yourself to hard." Emiko smiles and nods her head, shutting the door behind her. This has to mean something. Right?

* * *

She loves the feel of the floor under her feet. She decides against point. She shouldn't push herself to hard. She is already here against the rules. She doesn't want to make anything worse if she gets caught. She missed the studio though. She doesn't know what her life would be without it. She doesn't think she could live without it.

She can feel Neji's eyes following her across the dance floor. He is standing in front of the glass, his arms crossed over his broad chest. She swears she can see a smile twitching the corner of his normally thin-lined lips. She smiles to herself at the thought, the small distraction enough to make her trip over her own foot and fall to the ground.

Neji is by her side before she can even process what has happened. His arm is under her elbow, holding her upright. She can't help it. She starts to laugh hysterically. Neji steps back, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She can't seem to catch her breath as she laughs and simply shakes her head. It takes a while for her to calm herself down, but she finally catches her breath, wiping at the tears dripping from the corner of her eyes.

"Shot, I'm sorry. I didn't…" She starts to laugh again. "…I didn't mean to fall, I just…" She pushes herself off of the ground and calms herself down for a second before she steps forward. "I just like you, a lot." She places her lips on his and she can feel him jerk away from her, stepping back. "I'm sorry," she mumbles. She steps back from him, her eyes downcast. She doesn't like the disappointment surging through her chest.

"No, I…" He places his lips on hers and she widens her eyes in surprise, letting out a squeal when he pulls her boy to his. She pulls away for a second and let out a small laugh. "Yeah, you too," he mumbles. She smiles and places her lips on his again, wrapping her arms around his neck.

She is totally immersed into the kiss when a voice reaches her ears. "You come here despite what I told you and then you start making out in my studio. Emiko, get the hell home. I don't wanna see you for another week or I'll extend your probation." Emiko pulls away from Neji, laughing at herself and this whole situation. It isn't what she would have planned at all.

"I won't see you for another week then," Emiko says, her voice finally calming as she looks at her instructor. The instructor nods and walks across the room and into her office.

"I don't want to see you kissing that boy again either," she yells before slamming the door shut. Emiko glances at Neji, who seems unfazed by this whole situation. He shifts his gaze to her, his eyes soft like she has never seen them before. She smiles at him, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the studio. She changes into a pair of Uggs, her toes not aching like they usually do.

"So, where should we go on our first date?" She asks.

Neji lets out a soft chuckle. It the first time she has ever heard him laugh. She can't help the smile from growing on her lips. "I could care less," he says, his voice finding the same monotone she is used to.

This has turned out to be a great day.

* * *

******[Author's Note:** So, do you like how the relationship is playing out? I hope you enjoyed the chapter! There is more to come! Reviews are loved!**]**


	12. Chapter 12

**Twelve**

Sunday night her grandmother tells her she can't stay home another day. She says that if Emiko was well enough to go on a date, she is well enough to go to school. Emiko really can't complain. She did go out on a date and get herself a boyfriend this weekend. She should be able to handle school. So, she calls Neji and asks if he will pick her up the following morning.

She can't sleep that night. She realizes she is only dreading school, because school used to mean she had dance to look forward to in the afternoon, but now that she doesn't have dance, she doesn't want to go to school. She has always suffered through the day in hopes of a good dance class.

But she gets to see Neji.

She focuses on that and it gets her an hours sleep before her alarm is going off, telling her she needs to get out of bed. She groans and rolls over, threating to throw her alarm clock across the room. Instead, she turns it on snooze and finds herself awake before she can even get another wink of sleep. She turns the alarm off and kicks her covers off, the chill of the air waking her up.

She gets ready for her morning, taking a shower, straightening her hair, gathering her books, and eating breakfast, which she throws up in the bathroom. She ignores the look her grandmother is giving her and simply continues to gather her coat and books. It's getting colder as the days go by and it's only been about a month since school started.

Neji, being the gentleman he is, knocks on the door as she is sticking her arm into her jacket. She opens the door and gives him a small smile. She ignores the fact that one arm is still not covered by the warm fabric and grabs her backpack, running out the door and shutting it behind her. She places a kiss on Neji's cheek before she hurries down the stairs and climbs into the passenger's seat.

"You look tired," Neji comments, climbing into the car and turning it on. Emiko smiles when a blast of hot air hits her, warming her up in an instant. She kicks her backpack away from her feet and fixes her jacket so it is now on both of her arms.

"I didn't sleep well. All I could think about was school and how I don't have dance after it and how that is the only thing that gets me through school. Dance is the only thing I look forward too," she explains. Neji doesn't say anything as he pulls out of the drive way. "I only managed to fall asleep about two hours ago when I thought about seeing you and how school can be good cause I can see you and spend some time with you."

She can see the small smile twitch the corner of Neji's lips and smiles herself. "I don't think the school would appreciate you missing another week." She rolls her eyes and decides not to say anything else. She doesn't need to say anything else. Neji is completely right. They would probably kill her if she missed more school. It is inevitable that she will miss school in the future for competition and she shouldn't waist her time skipping when she can't afford too.

Neji keeps a close eye on her. She looks like she could fall any second now and for a dancer; she doesn't have the best balance. She looks like she could fall stepping out of the car, her foot almost catching on the door frame. He can hear her sigh every time she takes a step, her eyes focused on the school in a tired gaze.

She nearly falls walking up the stairs, but Neji manages to wrap an arm around her waist, keeping her steady. She lets out a deep breath and leans against his chest. "I'm sorry," she mumbles, her eyes closing. People walk by the two, looking at them, but Emiko doesn't notice. It takes a few minutes for her to open her eyes back up. "I think I'm good now."

Neji lets go of her waist and she hicks her backpack up her should. She reaches back, taking his hand and lacing their figure together. Neji pulls at the collar of his shirt, eyes now moving toward their linked hands. He's never been _that _person, the person that walks around school holding their girlfriend's hand. He doesn't usually do such a thing.

Naruto attacks Emiko right when she walks into the door and she nearly loses her balance. She pulls her hand out of Neji's to give Naruto a proper hug and Neji finds himself missing the warmth of her hand in his.

"I've missed you!" Naruto shouts and a few people look at them before going back to their own conversation.

"Thanks, but you gotta stop crushing me," Emiko mutters. Naruto let out a small chuckle, scratching the back of his head when he pulls away from her.

"Sorry about that," he apologizes.

"It's fine. I missed you too," Emiko smiles. Neji quickly finds her hand in his again and she pulls him in the direction of her locker, Naruto following. He notices the way Naruto glances at their linked fingers.

"Hey, Emiko," Naruto says, his eyes still on their hands. "Do ya got anything you wanna tell me?" Emiko glances at Naruto with furrowed eyebrows and notices how he is staring at their hands. She lets out a light giggle.

"Naruto, take a guess. You can't be that stupid."

"So, Neji finally got the balls to ask you out?"

Emiko stops in front of her locker, giving Naruto a questioning look. "Neji was going to ask me out?" She glances at Neji, who doesn't bother to give an answer. "If I remember correctly, I was the one who kissed him this weekend, not the other way around."

"Oh, well, good for Emiko. I'm happy it worked out. I gotta get going. Kakashi-sensei needs to talk to me before class." Naruto doesn't give her time to say goodbye before he is half way down the hall, tripping over people as he waves over his shoulder.

"You were going to ask me out on Friday when you come over, weren't you?" Emiko asks, glancing at Neji as she takes the necessary books out of her locker. Neji smirks and moves closer to her. He places a loose strand of her hair behind her ear and places a soft kiss on her cheek.

"You'll never know now," he whispers into her ear and he is down the hall before Emiko's brain can work again.

* * *

**[Authors Notes: **Sorry it took so long to update! I hope you like the chapter! Reviews are loved!**]**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thirteen**

She doesn't feel that usual ache in her ankles dancing now. The two weeks off was probably the best thing that happened to her. She doesn't get out of breath as easy and her ankle doesn't hurt as much and she gets to spend every Wednesday night as well as the weekend with Neji. She doesn't know how much better this could get. She even managed to get herself back on top of the pyramid a week after she came back.

She gets her grades back up to. Neji sits her down and makes sure she gets her work done and he helps her with Calculus and she can actually do the work in that class now. She doesn't know how she could have ended up with someone as perfect as Neji. He helps her with her other work as well. He is smarter then she could even imagine. He remembers dates in history like they are actually part of his life and terms in biology like they are everyday words. She doesn't understand how he can be so smart.

Naruto keeps pestering her about her life. He wants to know what she is going to do after she graduates and she just doesn't want to think about that right now. She is probably going to dance, but there are so many problems now. Neji is going to college and she doesn't know where she is going to be dancing and it could be far away from him. Naruto is still going to be in high school, having his own senior year. She doesn't want to be far from either of them. She understands that Naruto wants to know where she is going and she wants to know too. She wants to know if she is going to be close to him or close to Neji, but she doesn't.

"What about going to a dance college? There has to be one around here," Naruto tells her. She glances up from her text book and shrugs her shoulders.

"I don't know. If I go to college that means I have to take normal classes too and I don't wanna take anything but dance. Plus, people say I'm good enough to just jump into it. I'll think about it though. Maybe I'll talk about it with my Grandmother later." She turns her attention back down to her book, reading another page and annotating it before she closes it.

She smiles when Neji sits cross from her and she shoves the book aside. "How has your day been?" she asks. Neji glances up at her and she can already tell it hasn't been a very good day. He doesn't look very happy. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"Not your fault my guidance counselor messed up all my applications," he mumbles. He pulls out a sandwich and starts to eat his meal.

"How could someone mess up something so important? He's probably done it so many times too." Neji simply shrugs his shoulders and finishes off his sandwich. He pulls an apple out of his bag next. He simply looks at it, letting out a sigh and shaking his head.

"Do you want this?" he asks, holding the fruit out to her. Emiko looks down at the empty table in front of her and nods her head excitedly, snatching it from his hand. "Did you forget your lunch today?" She nods her head, her teeth busy crunching the apple.

She finishes off her apple, tossing it in the trash can at the end of the table. She sits herself back down and turns her full attention to Neji. "Neji, where do you wanna go to school?" she asks. They have discussed this before. She knows they have, but he has never given her a sold answer as to what school is his top choice. "I just…I wanna be close to you 'cause I don't wanna break up just 'cause we aren't close…"

Naruto seems to realize this is an important conversation and leaves the table with a quick goodbye, leaving the two alone. Emiko just looks at Neji, a pleading look in her eyes. He is one of the best things that has happened to her and she can't even imagine losing him. She doesn't want to lose him over something as silly as college. (Which, she knows Neji does not find silly, but she does.)

"I'm not sure yet. I'm probably going to stay close though. An hour or so? I'm thinking Konoha U, but I have to do more research into the law field at other schools," he explains. She frowns. She feels like she wants to cry. She doesn't know why. He isn't going that far. They could last an hour away, but she just can't help it. "Hey, no need to cry. I don't plan on breaking up with you any time soon."

She lets out a teary laugh and smiles when his thumb brushes her cheek, whipping the tears away. "I'm sorry. I just don't know what next year is going to be like. It's kinda scary."

He nods his head in agreement.

* * *

She unlocks her house door, pulling Neji into the house. She shuts the door behind her and turns around, pulling his body closer to her. She glances down at his lips, his breath brushing over hers from their close proximity. Neji smirks and places his lips on her, pulling her body flush against his. He wraps his arms around her back and she wraps her arms around his neck.

"Honey, is that you?"

She pulls away from Neji within seconds, her eyes widening in shock. "I didn't know she was here," she mutters, pulling her body away from Neji. She gives him a small smile and takes his hand in hers. "Yeah, I'm here with Neji. We were going to do some homework."

She finds her Grandmother in the kitchen, her eyes focused on the phone hanging on the wall. She glances at the two when they come in and Emiko immediately knows something is wrong. "Grandma…?"

"Emiko, it's your father."

She doesn't know how to react.


	14. Chapter 14

**Fourteen**

She doesn't know how to react. Neji places a hand on her shoulder, it's probably supposed to be comforting, but she doesn't understand why she needs to be comforted. "W-what?" she chokes out. She doesn't know why her throat closed up.

"Honey, he got into a car accident." Her grandmother's voice is soft and she reaches a hand out to grab one of Emiko's. Emiko doesn't know how she should feel about this, because all the emotions are flooding at once and she is sad and angry and annoyed. "He's at the hospital. They said he should wake up, but they don't know how well he is going to recover."

"Grandma, I don't – I'm not sure what to do. I don't wanna see him, at least not now, but I just, after all he put her through I still feel guilty not going…"

She leans back, Neji now standing behind her. He circles his arms around her waist and she can feel his hot breath on her ear. "It's okay. If you don't want to visit, we don't have to. I'll always go with you if you change your mind," he whispers. She nods her head, turning to place a light kiss on his cheek.

"I'll see what I wanna do Grandma."

She just doesn't know what to do. She can't seem to bring herself to be with him in this time, because he wasn't with her when she needed him. She can't help that little part of her brain that is telling her that revenge is bad and she should go visit him. She feels like visiting him would be the best things to do, the better thing. She doesn't know how to approach it though.

* * *

"I don't think I can do this," she repeats, pacing outside the hospital door. It took her a week before she decided she was ready to visit him and now all she wants to do is go home and curl up into a ball, preferably in Neji's arms. "I can't do this."

She is about to walk down the hall, never come back, but Neji grabs her arm and stops her. He pulls her to his body, his arms wrapping around her and holding her close. "Take a deep breath. You can do this." She takes in that deep breath and lets it out. She can already feel her body relax a bit, although she is pretty sure that Neji's arms around her in the only thing letting her relax.

"I'm scared," she mumbled into his chest. She can feel his arms tight around her. "I don't know what to say. Last time I saw him I told him never to come back. What if he is still mad at me?"

Neji pulls her away from his body, his hands gripping her upper arms. Their eyes lock and she can't help the hitch of her breath. She has always liked those milky eyes. "Hey, it's going to be okay. He probably understand where you were coming from last time you saw him." Emiko nods her head, her mouth unable to form the words. She steps forward and places a soft kiss on his lips before pulling away.

She turns around, happy when Neji's hand slips into hers. She closes her eyes for a second, letting out a calming before walking to the door. She hesitates as her hand touches the cold metal and she pulls her hand back. Neji gives her other hand a tight squeeze and she knows she can do this. She will do this. She opens the door before she can even let second thoughts consume her mind.

The first thing she notices is how pale he looks. The color of his skin almost matches the color of his white sheets. She swallows the lump in her throat and steps forward, hesitating on her words. "Um, hi.."

He's startled when he hears her voice and he looks up slowly. He looks nearly dead, but the smile that spreads across his lips lightens up his eyes a bit. "Emiko, is that you?" She can't help the tears that are streaming down her cheeks as she nods her head. "I didn't think you would come."

"I was thinking about it. I didn't know how you would react because of last time we talked…" She doesn't really know what to say. How do you greet a father who you haven't seen in almost four years and is in the hospital?

She notices the way his face softens. "I could never be mad at you. I have no right to be after not being around for so long. You should be mad at me."

Suddenly it's like nothing ever happened. She can't seem to find anything that would prevent her from forgiving him. She can't help the smile the spreads across her tears stained cheeks and she drops Neji's hand and runs to her father before she even knows what she is doing. They embrace in a hug that just says everything. How sorry they are and how much they regret what they did and how they want to start over. "I'm sorry," she whispers, because she is so very sorry.

"I am too, sweetie. I am too…"

She misses the sound of his voice and the way his beard would rub against her cheek when he gave her a kiss goodbye in the morning. She misses everything about him and she doesn't know when she stopping missing them.

They stay in that embrace for a while, only for a nurse to interrupt them. She checks a few things on her father and Emiko can't help the smile that forms on her lisp, because the nurse is saying good things about how his condition is improving. When the nurse leaves her father turns his attention to her.

"So, who is he?" He smiles knowingly. Emiko totally forgot that Neji was in the room, probably standing awkwardly in the corner. She quickly turns her attention to him and sends him a soft smile. She walks over to him and grabs his hand, pulling him toward the bed.

"Dad, this is my boyfriend Neji. Neji, this is my dad."

She can't help the smile that glides over her lips when her father gives her a nod of approval.

* * *

**[Author's Note:** I'm sorry it took so long to get this out! It might have a few mistakes because I didn't read over it much. Haha. I will be another two or so weeks before another chapter comes out because finals start soon and because next week is the last week of classes so I have a lot of work piling up. I'm sorry!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! It's probably going to end around chapter 20 or so and have an epilogue. It depends on how I feel and how many more ideas I have for it. We will have to see. Thank you for all the favorites, follows, and reviews! I love reviews!**]**


	15. Chapter 15

**Fifteen**

Winter comes and goes and by the time the snow has melted on the ground both Neji and herself have turned in applications for college. The only thing she starts to worry about is auditions. She is supposed to hear soon whether they want her to audition and she seems to be cracking under the stress of it all. She had a good routine going and she quickly started to let dance take over every part of her life. She misses school to dance and slacks on her work. She doesn't go out with her friends as much. The only thing she makes time for is Neji and it usually involves him sitting there watching her dance.

She normally dances all day on Saturday and Neji keeps her company after her instructor leaves but after a call from her grandmother she decides to go home early that day. She can tell her grandmother had news even if she wouldn't tell Emiko what it was.

Neji drives her home and she invited him in for dinner, which he happily accepts and the two walk into the house hand in hand. She is going to go up to her room, and put her stuff away before asking what the news is but the big envelope with that fancy cursive she likes so much is sitting on the counter and it has the same address as her dream company. All thoughts of heading up to her room are gone and she drops Neji's hand to make a run to the envelope, snatching it up in her hands.

She notices her grandmother come into the room, a knowing smile on her lips. She rips the envelope open carefully. She doesn't want to ripe it if it is good news so she can keep it forever. She lets her eyes read over the same cursive on the front of the envelope and a smile forms on her lips.

"I have an audition!" She yells, jumping up and down. The first thing she does is place the most passionate kiss she can muster on Neji's like before she turns to her grandmother to give her a big hug. She couldn't be happier. She jumps around with excitement for a little bit before calling her dad up. She invites him over for dinner. Her grandmother splurges and orders in Emiko's favorite and the four of them have a nice meal together.

* * *

Neji notices every little hop to her step or every little wring of her hands. He can tell she is nerves. She can't sit still either. She starts to do her homework, only for her leg to start shacking up and down and her pencil to start tapping against the desk. He gets sick of it pretty easily. She is a shoe in for this company and everyone knows it.

It only gets worse as the days pass and the audition date comes. He starts to take her pencils away from her and place a hand on her thigh to stop her leg from shacking up and down. "You'll be fine," he always says. She simply shrugs it off and starts to fold the piece of paper in front of her, her mind somewhere else.

She's jumpy the day of the audition. He sees her in the morning and he tries to calm her down. She doesn't eat much that day and he can't help but say that will only hurt her. She rolls her eyes and looks away. He gets sick of it by the end of the day and corners her in the hall before she can leave school. He takes in a deep breath when she looks into his eyes.

"You have to calm down. Everyone knows you are going to do amazing and you'll get it. Stop worrying," he tells her. She bits on her bottom lip, turning her gaze toward the wall. He places a hand on her cheek, caressing it before turning her face toward his. She tries to avoid looking at him. "Emiko, calm down."

"W-will you come with me? I know grandma is coming, but I wanna have you there. I don't know if I can do this without you." Emiko's voice is low when she says this, her eyes now looking at the ground despite her face still being held in place by Neji's touch.

He doesn't really know what to say. This isn't what he was expecting. He knows how much this means to her and he thought her grandmother would be enough support. He doesn't doubt that he will go with her though. He knows the second she asks he can't say no. He just doesn't know how to put it in words, because he feels like there is more to say then just a 'yes I'll go with you.'

So, he does the first thing he can think of. He pulls her face closer and captures her lips. The kiss is slow, passionate and he can feel it in every part of his body. It's in that moment, when she wraps her arms around his neck, kissing him with just as much intensity as he is kissing her, that he knows he loves this girl.

They pull away from each other breathless and he places his forehead against hers, his eyes closed. "Of course I'll go with you," he breaths. She smiles and tugs him in for another kiss. This time around he asks for entrance into her mouth, running his tongue along her bottom lip. She is about to part her lips for him when a cough is heard off to their right and he pulls away from her, totally forgetting that they are in the middle of the hallway at school.

"Get a damn room, I don't wanna look at that," Naruto says in disgust. Emiko simply smiles at the annoying blond and pulls herself away from Neji. Shee gives Naruto a hug.

"I feel like I never see you anymore," she tells him when she pulls away.

"That's because you don't," Naruto mutters, his words angry. Neji can tell he is a bit sore about the subject. He only people who have seen much of Emiko lately is her grandmother and Neji. He feels a bit bad for Naruto, because they are best friends, but not bad enough to actually share any of his time with her.

"How about we go out this weekend? You can invite all your friends and we can make a party of it. I'll actually ask my Grandma if we can have a party. She would probably be fine with it." Neji can tell she is definitely more confident now if she is talking about a party.

"That would be amazing!"

"Okay," Emiko laughs. "Don't invite people till I ask my Grandmother about this. I'll text you later." Naruto nods his head excitedly and Emiko says goodbye before he can say anything else. She has to get ready for her audition. Naruto waves them off.

Emiko gets ready pretty quick and chokes down a piece of dry toast. He at least knows she has something in her stomach now. They putter around for a while, Emiko pacing the front hall of her house until it is time to leave.

Neji drives both Emiko and her grandmother to the audition after offering and they arrive half an hour early because Emiko didn't want to be late. He simply gives her a small smile and follows her in, his hand encased in her warm one.

They call her in for auditions an hour later.

* * *

******[Author's Note: **I'm sorry it took so long to update! Finals were a killer and the end of the semester was horrible. It took a tool on me. Anyway, I plan on finishing this story during my winter break! There is only going to be two or three more parts as of now. An epilogue is not included in those parts though. So, I hope you enjoy! I'm sorry again it took so long to update.**]**


	16. Chapter 16

**Sixteen**

Neji gets into Konoha U. She doesn't know how to react when he tells her. He seems happy about it, a small smile actually forming on his lips when he starts to talk about his plans to study pre-law and then go onto law school. She wants to be happy for him, but there is just this gut feeling that something is going to go wrong and she isn't going to have him forever like she wants. Konoha U is quickly the only thing he talks about. His friends Lee and Tenten both got accepted as well and they are already talking about going together. She has to excuse herself from the lunch table and sit with Naruto because she just can't listen to it.

Naruto knows something is wrong, but he refrains from saying anything. He bits his tongue every time she glances over at Neji, jealous when he gives Tenten a small smile. That is supposed to be her. She only hopes this doesn't affect their relationship any more than it already is. It hurts too much to think about him being so far away.

It's a week later and Neji is still talking about Konoha U when she finally gets her letter. She notices it isn't big like Neji's was and it is in a small folded envelope. Neji's paper wasn't folded at all. She frowns and rips the thing open only for a rejection to hit her in the face. She decides she isn't going to cry and tosses the thing to her grandmother to read. Her grandmother frowns, but Emiko simply shrugs her shoulders. It was a slim chance she would get in anyway.

She tells Neji she doesn't get in and he frowns, gives her a kiss on the cheek and tells her she'll get into her other schools. She doesn't believe him. She isn't meant for school. The only thing she is waiting for is that call back for the auditions.

She's sitting with Naruto when the Konoha U talk starts up again among Neji's friends. She simply lets out a sigh and starts her own conversation with Naruto, who is dedicated to help cheer her up. He succeeds for a while, but when she sees Neji again, smiling with Tenten and talking about Konoha U it all comes crashing down.

It takes another week for her to find an envelope in her mail box. The thing is big, her address in cursive and she smiles wide. She knows what this is and it wouldn't a big envelope if they didn't want her, right? She takes it into the house and Emiko and her grandmother sit down on the couch. Her hands shake as she opens up the large envelope. She is about to take the paper out when she shove it into her grandmother's hands. "You open it. I can't look." Her grandmother simply chuckles and pulls out the piece of paper, her eyes widening and a smile forming on her lips.

She got in.

She is going to be leaving once she graduates to start her formal training. She couldn't be happier. The first thing she does is call her dad, smiling when he says how proud he is of her. She calls her instructor next, too excited to wait until she has dance tonight and she can hear the smile in her instructor's voice. She's proud and Emiko couldn't be happier.

She can't figure out how she is going to tell Neji. The dance company is only about half an hour from Konoha U and they could continue things, but she isn't so sure how that will work. She doesn't really let herself think about it much and simply texts Neji to meet her after dance. He says he will.

She calls Naruto and he answers in his cheery voice. "Do you remember when I said I would have a party and it fell through?" He screams into the phone about being mad at her for that for five minutes before he lets her continue. "Well, invite everyone. This Saturday night starting at 6:00 we are having a celebration!" She proceeds to tell him all about the company and how they will definitely still be able to hang out because it isn't too far away from the high school. He tells her how happy he is that she is finally in a better mood and they hang up on a good note.

She goes to dance then.

She smiles at all the congratulations she gets. She even gets one from her biggest competitor at the school, even if it is forced. The session goes by quick and she frowns when everyone is filing out of the place, wishing another congrats as they leave. Eventually she is the only one left and she looks around the place, no Neji in sight.

She doesn't know what to do. She waits half an hour in the lonely place before deciding she should just call her grandmother for a ride home. She is about to dial the number when he comes up to the door, knocking on the glass because she locked it. She gives him a sad smile and unlocks the door to let him in. He gives her a kiss on the cheek as she locks the door again.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I got caught up talking to my Uncle about Konoha U. He wanted to know some of the details about next year and everything," he explains. She balls her hands into fists when he mentions Konoha U.

"Can we not talk about that for a second," she says through grinding teeth. He furrows his eyebrows in confusion and she quickly softens her expression. She doesn't want make this into a fight. She just wants to tell him the good news. "I'm sorry. I just, let's not talk about you for a second and shift gears because I have some really good news."

"Yeah, okay."

He sits down on the bench and she sits down next to him. She smiles and takes his hand in hers because it just feels right. "I got accepted to the company!" Neji's eyes widen in shock and she is quickly pulled into a tight hug.

"That's amazing, Emiko."

She smiles and wraps her arms around him. She feels so at home like this and she's missed this the last few weeks. She doesn't bring anything else up. They can talk about it later. She doesn't want to ruin the moment and she certainly doesn't want to even say Konoha U, nonetheless think about it. So, she just stays wrapped in his arms, a smile on her face.

* * *

**[Author's Note:** Two more chapter and an epilogue till it is all over. I hope everyone is enjoying! I love reviews! Thank you for reading!**]**


	17. Chapter 17

**Seventeen**

She knows most of the people at the party, because they are all Naruto's friends. She has hung out with them before, but it isn't usual for her to see then with her busy schedule. She usually just makes time for Neji and Naruto. She is surprised at how many of Naruto's friends come up and talk to her and congratulate her. She doesn't really know how to react. She obviously doesn't ignore their congratulations or anything. She smiles and thanks them and when they ask about next year she gladly tells them about the company and what it will be like. A lot actually seem interested.

The only thing bugging her is Neji.

He greets her when he comes in and places a light kiss on her cheek, but after that he simply goes off with his friends and she can hear him talking about Konoha U. It hurts that he can't spend just one night not thinking about it. They haven't talk about next year yet and she knows they have to. She can tell he is trying to avoid the subject and she doesn't want to push him, but they have to talk sooner rather then later.

"Hey, Emiko!" She turns to find Naruto waving at her excitedly as he pushes his way through his friends. She smiles at him, giggling when he pulls her into a hug. "Are you having fun?" He gives her this big smile and she wants to say, yes, she is having fun, but her eyes flash to Neji and Naruto isn't as stupid as people think. "Do you want me to go talk to him?"

She's surprised, but shakes her head quickly. "No, I'll talk to him in a bit. I am enjoying myself despite him though. I forgot how nice and friendly most of your friends are." She smiles at him and is happy when he returns it tenfold. He is easily satisfied with the answer and is quickly off, chatting up the pink haired girl Emiko knows he has a crush on.

It takes her another hour to work up the courage to go talk to Neji. She doesn't know why she is so nervous, but the butterflies keep pounding against the walls of her stomach and she can't help it when her palms start to sweat. She tightens the grip on the cup of water in her hand and quickly makes her way over to him and his friends.

She gives his friends a small smile before turning to him. "Can I borrow you?" she asks. He seems surprised, but doesn't object as she takes his hand. She drags him across the room into the study, which isn't occupied by anyone because the door was closed keeping the party out of that particular room.

She sits down in one of the chairs and gives Neji a small smile when he sits down next to her, his fingers still laced with hers. She doesn't really know how to start this conversation and it isn't really the best time, but she doesn't really have another reason she dragged him in here. She opens her mouth and closes it a few times before words start to actually leave her mouth, but she hesitates only seconds into the jumble of words when she notices his facial expression. "What's wrong?" That wasn't supposed to be the topic of discussion, but it was better them bringing up things he didn't want to talk about.

"Can't we just pretend for a while? Pretend fate isn't trying to pull us apart and making us go in different direction. Pretend we are going to work through this and pretend we will get through the next few years apart. Just for a while."

It comes as a complete shock to her. She never pegged Neji as one to pretend, but she doesn't really know how to deny his request. So, she simply nods her heads, her eyes still wide with shock. He gives her a small smile, one she hasn't really seen since he congratulated her that first time a few days ago and places a light, lingering kiss on her lips.

"Thank you," he whispers. She swallows the lump in her throat and is about to say something, anything, when he pulls her up. "Let's go back to the party."

She doesn't object as he pulls her through the door, closing it behind her.

* * *

It's midnight when people finally start to leave and by two o'clock its only Emiko, Neji and Naruto left. Naruto smiles at her and promises to come back tomorrow to help clean the mess and he is quickly off, waving as he pulls down the street.

She turns to Neji and smiles up at him. "I think it went well. I should have parties more often." She can't help the nagging feeling that she needs to bring things up, no matter how hard it is. She knows he wants to pretend for a bit, but she doesn't know if she can do that.

"I always liked having a lone time with you, without a bunch of people around," he tells her. She quickly realizes he didn't enjoy the party much. That does explain why he simply stood in the corner with his friend, not conversing with anyone else. He never did seem like much of a party person.

"I guess alone time is okay," she mumbles, standing on her toes until their lips are only inches apart. She can see the corner of Neji's lips twitch up as he closes the distance between them. He wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her body closer. She smiles against his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck. Neji licks across her lower lips as she parts them a bit, surprised when he pulls away instead.

"I love you."

She's shocked. She never expected him to say that especially with all the hard times they have been going through these last few weeks. It only takes her a few seconds to recover her shock and she places a light kiss on his lips.

"I love you too."

She gives herself to him.

* * *

**[Author's**** Note: **I'm sorry updates are taking so long. I haven't been writing much lately and this story has been lacking inspiration. I'm ending it next chapter though and I know what I'm going to write. There will be an epilogue too. I'm going to try to end this before New Year's so hopefully there will be updates in the next few days. **  
**

I hope everyone is liking it. Reviews are loved. Thank you for all the favorites and follows!**]**


	18. Chapter 18

**Eighteen**

They don't talk. Every time Emiko tries to bring up the subject, Neji changes it. She doesn't understand why he won't talk about it. It isn't at the top of her list to talk about the future, but it has to be done. There isn't another way around this. She's talked to Naruto about it already and he seems fine with the whole thing and he's going to visit her and vice versa. She can't talk to Naruto about Neji though. She can only talk about Neji with Neji and he won't listen to anything she has to say.

She misses prom because of a competition. Neji doesn't go either and she feels really bad. She wishes she could have skipped, but her company was going to be there and she couldn't skip out. It's a surprised when he shows up at her house the night she got back in a tux. She's only in her pajamas, but he smiles and slips the corsage on her wrist. They dance in the living room and fall asleep on the couch together.

Graduation isn't too long after that. They walk down the aisle, wait for their name to be called and they are alumni before they know it. Everyone is at the ceremony. Naruto waves to her when she gets her diploma, yelling congratulations as she walks across stage. She just laughs. Neji watches her closely, giving her a small smile, which she returns.

She claps for him and gives him a big smile when he gets his diploma.

The only thing still bugging her is that they still haven't talk yet. She leaves next week for the company and they still haven't said a word about what they are going to do.

The school throws a big party for everyone after the graduation. It's invite only, but Emiko manages to get an invite for Naruto, who is more than happy to be there. She had to pay for it, but she doesn't tell him that. She spends most of the night holding Neji's hand and she dances with Naruto a few times. Neji offers to slow dance with her, but he isn't much of a fast dancer. She doesn't mind.

Naruto is pretty worn by the end of the night and she only smiles, giving him a kiss on the cheek when he leaves. He waves to her as he pulls down the street. She waves back to him before her attention is drawn back to Neji, who has wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. She smiles at him and they go back in for a few more dances before they leave, going their separate ways.

It's not till her graduation party two days later she sees him. He gives her a long kiss at the door and walks to the same corner he hung out in during her last party. All her friends trickle in and the party is another hit. She likes hosting parties and if she wasn't going to the company she would probably like to host more.

Naruto hops around, as energetic as ever and keeps yelling about how she is leaving in a few days and how he is going to miss her a lot. She laughs and shaves him away. She doesn't have the patients to deal with him right now. She has one goal in mind and that is to talk to Neji. She needs to talk to him now.

It's the same as the last party. She excuses them from his friends and pulls him into the study, this time shutting the door behind them. She sits herself down in the chair and he sits down next to her, hands still clamped together. She gives him a small smile and simply looks at him for a few minutes, taking in everything. She doesn't want to forget what he looks like. She doesn't want to forget those eyes or that hair.

She finally takes in a deep breath. "I don't think we can do it." She knows he will understand what she is saying and by the expression on his face, he does. He knows what she is asking for and she swallows the lump in her throat to continue. "I don't think we can do it. You won't even talk about it or anything and I don't think you really wanna face it. I'm leaving in a few days and you haven't tried to bring it up once. I don't even think you want to attempt. I get the whole pretending things, but it's time to stop. We can't pretend this is going to last, especially like this."

She watches him closely, looking for any sort of reaction after that first initial one, but nothing comes. He presses his lips together and nods his head. "I love you, but I agree. I don't think it will work. You will always be dancing and I'll have a lot of work to worry about studying law."

She can't tell if she is relieved or not. She's happy they talked about it, but she didn't really want to break up. She can feel her heart shattering as the words leave her lips. "So, this is it?" He nods his head and her heart completely falls apart.

"I'll see you around then. Good luck with the company."

He gets up without another words and she doesn't say anything as he leaves the room. The tears fall down her face once the door is closed again, leaving her alone.

She doesn't go back out to her own party.

**. . .**

**The End.  
**

* * *

**[Author's Note: **Epilogue to follow. I hope you enjoyed the ending!**]**


	19. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

He sees it in the newspaper. It's been five years, but he recognizes her no problem. She hasn't changed at all. He lets a small smile form on his lips and reads the little caption under the promotion picture. The show she is currently starring in is coming to town for a few weeks.

He decides he is going to go.

He buys himself tickets and calls Naruto, who he knows is still on good turns with Emiko, and asks him if he wants to join. Naruto is enthusiastic, but when is he not. It's settled. They are going to go together the second week the show is coming to town.

He's nervous when he walks into the theater. It's been five years since he talked to her or even seen her for that matter. He's never been able to forget about her though. Naruto says she is doing well and they see each other usually once a month, more if they both have time. Naruto didn't tell her Neji was coming. He said it would be fun to surprise her. Neji isn't so sure if that is a good idea. He doesn't even know if she wants to see him.

"She is amazing, even more so than before. Just wait until you see her," Naruto whispers to him as the curtain starts to rise. He knows Naruto goes to every one of her shows at least once. He's invited Neji before, but none have been local and he never has the time to go with law school always on his back.

Naruto wasn't lying. He used to watch her dance a lot back when they dated, but she was never this good. The way her body moves is hypnotizing. She smiles this radiate smile, like she is enjoying every second of it and the makeup on her face brings out her bright eyes. She takes his breath away.

The show is amazing.

Naruto screams and yells when she comes out for a bow and Neji swears she can hear him because she squints out to the crowd and takes a quick look before going back to her spot for one final bow. She doesn't see them though and Neji finds himself relieved. He still doesn't know how he is going to face her after all these years.

The curtain goes down and Naruto turns to him, a big grin across his face. "We can go backstage. She knows I'm coming." Neji nods and follows silently behind Naruto. They get backstage quicker then he thought they would and he is suddenly panicked. He doesn't know what to say to her. He hasn't even really thought about it.

"Emiko!"

And now he has no time to think about it.

He watches as her face lights up and she charges at Naruto, jumping into his arms as she laughs. Naruto spins her around and places her back on the ground to pull her into a proper hug. She places a quick kiss on his cheek and the smile on her lips only grows when Naruto starts to tell her how amazing she was.

"Hey, I brought someone with me you might remember…"

Naruto trails off and Neji knows Naruto is talking about him. He looks up to meet her gaze and he can hear her suck in a breath of shock. She looks back at Naruto and he gives her a weary smile. He obviously didn't know how she would react to this situation either.

"Neji?" she asks and he nods his head, clearing his throat.

"You did a great job up there." He suddenly wishes he brought flowers or something. He is pretty sure that is what people do after a performance. He sees a lot of flowers around.

The smile on her lips catches him off guard. He wasn't expecting her to welcome him so quickly. "It's really nice to see you again. I hope you're doing well."

"I am. Law school is a lot of work, but I'm getting through it. I'll be graduating at the end of the year. It looks like you've been doing pretty well yourself." He smiles at the blush that covers her cheeks.

"Yeah, I have."

He finds himself at a little café with her and Naruto so the two of them can get reacquainted.

* * *

**[Author's Note:** Well, I hope everyone enjoyed the little series. I know I did. I'm sad its over, but it can't go on forever. I'm pretty happy with the ending though. Thanks to those who stuck with the story and reviewed, followed, and favorited it. It means a lot to me.**]**


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